On the second day of the Russian presidential election, Russians are determining who will lead their country in the next term of government.
However, it was widely known even before the election began that Putin could not possibly lose. This is partly because he remains the most popular politician in the country and also because the Russians have predetermined the outcome.
This is according to Prof. Vladimir Ponomarev, who gave an extensive interview with Polish WP.
"In Russia, it has already been determined what the turnout should be and how many votes should go to Putin. It seems to be somewhere between 80 and 82 percent, with an average turnout of 75 percent, although the figures vary in different regions. This is how it is supposed to be and this is how it will be," he says.
To make this possible, the professor explains, there are IT specialists who can fine-tune the results.
"Authorized IT specialists - connected with the Central Electoral Commission - can 'fine-tune' the result in case of various surprises," he claims.
Later in the interview, the professor is asked about the actual number of Russians who oppose both the war and Putin, and that number is surprisingly low.
"About 10-15 percent. And here we must understand that in addition to the army that Putin has on the front in Ukraine, he also has 450,000 internal guard soldiers, the so-called Rosgvardiya. This is a cruel armed force. So there is widespread fear."
About Prof. Dr. Vladimir Ponomarev
Prof. Dr. Vladimir Ponomarev, born in Moscow in 1945, is a prominent figure with a background in both the scientific community and Russian government service. A graduate of the University of Moscow and the University of Warsaw, Ponomarev has contributed significantly to nuclear safety and international economic relations. Notably, he served in the Russian government under Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Kasyanov.
